


Already Gone

by minimalistdreamer



Series: Percabeth Angst [2]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, F/M, Like really angsty, Sad, Song Lyrics, i only do angst works im sorry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-29
Updated: 2020-03-29
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:01:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23384923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/minimalistdreamer/pseuds/minimalistdreamer
Summary: Percy held out a piece of folded paper out to her. The edges pressed down enough for it not to unravel on its own. Text littered the outside, but it was too tiny for her to read with her dyslexic eyes.Annabeth took the paper and looked at him, her eyebrows furrowed."You'll know when to read that," Percy said, giving her a sad smile._________Song Fic:Inspired by the song "Already Gone"
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson
Series: Percabeth Angst [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1800757
Comments: 7
Kudos: 70





	Already Gone

**Author's Note:**

> Everything that is underlined is not mine but is excerpted from Rick Riordan's book: Blood of Olympus 
> 
> Enjoy!

It was the day of the battle, of the sacrifice. Annabeth stood on Argo II's deck, her hands laying on the wood railing. She stared out into the horizon. Her hair flapped around in the wind, tied up into a poorly-made bun. 

Heavy footsteps sounded to her right, Percy's footsteps. It was easy to tell from the peculiar way he always walked on the balls of his feet, his knees already bent and ready for battle but making it look lazy. 

His hand moved across her back and laid on her shoulder as he stood next to her. Annabeth moved her head to the right so it was resting against his arm. It was rare, for them to show public affection unless it was in the do or die situation, but this was nice, this was comfortable. Though deep in the crevices of her mind, she couldn't help but think that if something went wrong, this is what she could be giving up. 

Percy turned his head, so it was looking down at her. 

"Annabeth," he said, his voice soft. She looked up at him, noticing the way his jaw was clenched and how his eyes were much too worried. She prayed that he was just say something _Percy_ and break out in his lopsided grin, and then Annabeth would smack him and he'd laugh, head thrown back and eyes closed. 

"Yeah?" She asked, leaning a little away from him. She turned, so her back was flat against the railing and she was looking aside to him.

"I need to give you something." Percy searched his pockets and a blush threatened to climb up his cheeks when he couldn't find whatever he was looking for.

"Are you proposing Seaweed Brain?" Annabeth chuckled, crossing her arms as she watched him. She was smiling, but then Percy barked out a humorless laugh - one that was obviously fake, at least to her. Her smile faded. 

Percy held out a piece of folded paper out to her. The edges pressed down enough for it not to unravel on its own. Text littered the outside, and she could see that it was in Greek already. 

Annabeth took the paper and looked at him, her eyebrows furrowed. 

"You'll know when to read that," Percy said, giving her a sad smile. Annabeth looked at him strangely. 

"Okay," she said, "but you'll tell me when that is right? Because I can't always read your mind." Annabeth strung her arms around his neck, pulling him down and pulling her up. 

"Yeah," he chuckled in that fake way again, "I'll let you know." Percy's eyes searched hers for a moment before pressing his lips onto hers. Annabeth breathed in through her nose, eyes closing. She attempted to pull away after a few moments but Percy held her close.

"Hey Lovebirds!" Leo's voice sounded from afar, "Meeting time!" 

Annabeth pulled away and tucked the paper deep in her pocket. She grasped Percy's hand and they walked away from the railing.

* * *

In the midst of the battle against the giants, Annabeth raced around the throne, looking back at Periboia, the previously frozen giant, as she tried to grab Annabeth. With her bleeding leg, she left a path of golden blood behind her. 

She was able to swing up onto the throne and jump behind Periboia and stab her in the back of the leg with her drakon bone sword. Periboia turned around and Annabeth scrambled back, barely dodging her massive palm swiping for her. She picked up her sword and continued running, but the blood lost fatigued her, she was losing ground - and fast. 

Annabeth ran in front of the throne and saw Percy out of the corner of her eye. He was standing in front of Thoon, but Annabeth could see from a distance that he wasn't up to par. Thoon had his hand reattached and was holding a meat cleaver. He swiped at Percy, and Percy was able to dodge that attack, but not the next one. Thoon swiped downwards, while Percy was expecting a swipe upwards. 

Annabeth dug her good foot into the dirt and pivoted, able to barely miss Periboia's hand. She ran towards Percy, and saw his eyes widen at the metal that stared him in the face. He caught her gaze and was able to give a lopsided grin - like the one he gave he whenever he did something stupid and wanted her forgiveness. It was gone in a second, as the cleaver caught his shoulder and went into his torso. Percy fell and Thoon laughed from above. 

"I got the Son of Poseidon!" Thoon roared, his meat cleaver covered in blood. _Percy's_ blood. "His blood soaks the earth!"

Annabeth stopped, staring at Percy's body. It was mangled and a pool of red blood bubbled into gold. 

The earth shook - Gaia woke. 

The gods exited the clouds as Annabeth was grabbed by Perboia. Athena rushed to her side and helped her be freed. Together they faced off against the giant, but Annabeth couldn't help but notice that Poseidon was nowhere to be found. As if he knew that his son was gone. 

Eventually, the demigods and gods got rid of the giants and they spoke quietly to the godly parents. Annabeth instead ran to Percy's body. 

She fell to her knees and grabbed his face with her hands, she turned it towards her.

"No, no, no," Annabeth cried, "You can't be gone, you just can't." She smoothed out his hair, her hands covered in gold and red blood. Athena walked up behind her. Annabeth rested Percy's head on her lap, whispering pleads. She looked up and saw Athena.

"Do something!" She cried to her mother, "You have to bring him back!" 

Athena stood firm in her cold glory, "Percy was a fine warrior. He will be in the fields of Elysium."

Annabeth continued to cry, and the rest of the demigods, now noticing the lack of Percy and Annabeth, came up to them.

Piper stifled a gasp, Jason stood with a clenched jaw and watery eyes, and Hazel burrowed her head in Frank's chest while Frank cried softly. 

They stood in silence for a moment before Jason cleared his throat, "He was a hero." 

Piper walked over to Annabeth and grabbed her arm, helping her rise unsteadily to her feet. Hazel came over, both of them trying to walk Annabeth to the crowd of gods. But Annabeth planted her feet firmly in the dirt.

"I'm not going without him," she said, her voice surprisingly strong. Frank turned into a horse and Jason helped place Percy's mangled body on the back. They walked to the crowd of gods, Jason flying beside Frank - making sure Percy didn't fall. Annabeth, Piper, and Hazel followed behind. 

* * *

Jason and Frank approached the gods. Leo was there too, covered in soot and his clothes still smoking. His grin faded after seeing the look on Jason's face. Frank turned to show Percy's body.

Jason took a deep breath, and with watering eyes, he looked at the gods.

"We need a shroud for Percy Jackson."

* * *

Piper, Hazel, and Annabeth approached everyone. Annabeth stood tall, even with her bleeding leg and tear covered face. She clenched her jaw as she looked at the gods, deliberately not looking at Percy's body that was now covered with a sheet. 

The gods fanned out in a semicircle as Zeus approached. None of them seemed particularly joyful about their victory. 

"Brethren," Zeus said, "we are healed, thanks to the work of these demigods. The Athena Parthenos, which once stood in this temple, now stands at Camp Half-Blood. It has united our offspring, and thus our own essences."

"But there is still work to be done, "Queen Hera interrupted. She spread her arms like she wanted a group hug. "But my heroes … you have triumphed over the giants as I knew you would. My plan succeeded beautifully."

Annabeth has been silent, eyes glassy until then.

"Succeeded beautifully?" She asked, glaring at the goddess. "Percy was killed! He was sacrificed because of _your_ plan!" 

"Annabeth," Athena said with a warning tone, but Annabeth continued.

"You killed him! There is never only one way, but because of your arrogance, I lost-" Annabeth lost her strength, she turned to Percy's body. She said nothing more. 

Hera fumed with anger, "You dare-"

Zeus cut her off, "The demigod is correct. There is never only one way! That is why there are three Fates, not one. Is this not so?"

Everyone was silent. Only Annabeth's labored breathing filled the empty space between everyone. 

Leo cleared his throat and wiped his eyes, "Is Gaia awake now?" he asked. 

Annabeth nodded. 

Zeus spoke, "The blood of Olympus was spilled. She is fully conscious."

Annabeth stifled a cry, her palm covering her mouth. Her eyes were closed. She recomposed herself quickly enough, "I'm sorry." Piper slung her arm around Annabeth's shoulder and whispered to her. Everyone else continued the conversation. 

Athena shouldered her aegis. "Now you must move quickly. Gaia rises to destroy your camp."

"Why would Gaia be back at camp?" Leo asked, he looked over to Annabeth and then to Percy's body. "Percy-" he cleared his throat, "The blood was spilled here."

Jason ran his fingers through his hair, "Gaia's whole essence is the earth, she can pop up anywhere at any time. Also, she told us that the first thing she was going to do is to destroy the camp."

"But the question is," Annabeth interrupted, now seemingly alright and back to her normal self, "how do we stop her?" 

Frank looked at Zeus. "Um, sir, Your Majesty, can’t you gods just pop over there with us? You’ve got the chariots and the magic powers and whatnot."

"Yes!’ Hazel said. ‘We defeated the giants together in two seconds. Let’s all go –"  


"That’s the problem with prophecies," Zeus growled. "When Apollo allowed the Prophecy of Seven to be spoken, and when Hera took it upon herself to interpret the words, the Fates wove the future in such a way that it had only so many possible outcomes, so many solutions. You seven, the demigods, are destined to defeat Gaia. We, the gods, cannot."  
  
"I don’t get it," Piper said. "What’s the point of being gods if you have to rely on puny mortals to do your bidding?"  
  
All the gods exchanged dark looks. Aphrodite, however, laughed gently and kissed her daughter. ‘My dear Piper, don’t you think we’ve been asking ourselves that question for thousands of years? But it is what binds us together, keeps us eternal. We need you mortals as much as you need us. Annoying as that may be, it’s the truth.’  
  
Frank shuffled uncomfortably like he missed being an elephant. "So how can we possibly get to Camp Half-Blood in time to save it? It took us months to reach Greece."  
  
"The winds," Jason said. "Father, can’t you unleash the winds to send our ship back?"  
  
Zeus glowered. "I could slap you back to Long Island."  
  
"Um, was that a joke, or a threat, or –"  
  
"No," Zeus said, "I mean it quite literally. I could slap your ship back to Camp Half-Blood, but the force involved …"  
  
Over by the ruined giant throne, the grungy god in the mechanic’s uniform shook his head. "My boy Leo built a good ship, but it won’t sustain that kind of stress. It would break apart as soon as it arrived, maybe sooner."  
  
Leo straightened his tool belt. "The Argo II can make it. It only has to stay in one piece long enough to get us back home. Once there, we can abandon ship."  
  
"Dangerous," warned Hephaestus. "Perhaps fatal."  
  
The goddess Nike twirled a laurel wreath on her finger. "Victory is always dangerous. And it often requires sacrifice. Leo Valdez and I have discussed this." She stared pointedly at Leo.  
  
Jason didn’t like that at all. He remembered Asclepius’s grim expression when the doctor had examined Leo. Oh, my. Oh, I see … Jason knew what they had to do to defeat Gaia. He knew the risks. But he wanted to take those risks himself, not put them on Leo.  
  
Piper will have the physician’s cure, he told himself. She’ll keep us both covered.  
  
"Leo," Annabeth said, "what is Nike talking about?"   
  
Leo waved off the question. "The usual. Victory. Sacrifice. Blah, blah, blah. It doesn’t matter. We can do this, guys. We have to do this."  
  
A feeling of dread settled over Jason. Zeus was correct about one thing: the worst was yet to come.  
  
When the choice comes, Notus the South Wind had told him, storm or fire, do not despair.  
  
Jason made the choice. "Leo’s right. All aboard for one last ride."

* * *

Percy's body was forced to be left behind, as it would not survive the trip back to Camp Half-Blood. So Annabeth walked over and talked to him for several minutes, saying her goodbyes. It was whispered and not heard by everyone else. 

"I'm so sorry that we couldn't save you, but we couldn't give you the cure. I'm so sorry Seaweed Brain," Annabeth smoothed back his face one last time and kissed his forehead. She turned and wiped her eyes and cheeks free of anything that might make it seem she wasn't up to par. 

Everyone then took turns saying their goodbyes before heading onto Argo II. 

The last everyone saw of Zeus was him holding the ship by its prow. He tossed the ship and spiked it overhead. Annabeth squeezed her eyes closed and held on the safety harness that Leo has given everyone. 

The sky turned black. The ship rattled and creaked. The deck cracked like thin ice under everyone's legs and, with a sonic boom, the Argo II hurtled out of the clouds.

The hatch opened and Frank and Hazel stumbled through, pulling on the guide rope they’d attached to the mast. Piper and Annabeth followed, everyone was very disoriented. 

Frank changed form. Instead of a dazed demigod, he was now a dazed grey dragon. Hazel climbed onto his neck. Frank grabbed Annabeth in his front claws, then spread his wings and soared away.

Giant eagles circled Jason, screeching urgently as if looking for orders.  
  
Frank the grey dragon flew alongside with his passengers.  
  
‘Hazel!’ Jason yelled. ‘Those three cohorts are in trouble! If they don’t merge with the rest of the demigods –’  
  
‘On it!’ Hazel said. ‘Go, Frank!’  
  
Dragon Frank veered to the left with Annabeth in his claw \- she looked so, empty. 

Jason and Piper landed in the middle of the battle. Nico was to his left.

Nico nodded to Jason as if they’d just seen each other five minutes ago, then went back to turning two-headed men into no-headed corpses. "Good timing. Where’s the ship?"

Jason pointed. The Argo II streaked across the sky in a ball of fire, shedding burning chunks of mast, hull, and armament. Jason didn’t see how even fireproof Leo could survive in that inferno, but he had to hope.

"Gods," Nico said. "Is everyone okay?"

"Percy," Jason's voice broke. "Percy was killed as a sacrifice to Gaia." Nico froze for a moment, and a two-headed man cut in the arm.

"Gods," he said, "Percy-" his voice broke and Jason understood. Nico cleared his throat, "For Percy," he said, raising his sword to the sky.

"For Percy," Jason agreed. 

* * *

Annabeth joined the ranks of Camp Half-Blood with a battle cry. 

They cried like banshees and charged. 

* * *

After the explosion, Piper and Jason – free-falling and unconscious – were plucked out of the sky by giant eagles and brought to safety, but Leo did not reappear. The entire Hephaestus cabin scoured the valley, finding bits and pieces of the Argo II’s broken hull, but no sign of Festus the dragon or his master.  
  
All the monsters had been destroyed or scattered. Greek and Roman casualties were heavy, but not nearly as bad as they might have been.

Overnight, the satyrs and nymphs disappeared into the woods for a convocation of the Cloven Elders. In the morning, Grover Underwood reappeared to announce that they could not sense the Earth Mother’s presence. Nature was more or less back to normal. Apparently, Jason, Piper and Leo’s plan had worked. Gaia had been separated from her source of power, charmed to sleep and then atomized in the combined explosion of Leo’s fire and Octavian’s man-made comet.

An immortal could never die, but now Gaia would be like her husband, Ouranos. The earth would continue to function as normal, just as the sky did, but Gaia was now so dispersed and powerless that she could never again form a consciousness.

The victory celebration at camp was muted, due to grief – not just for Leo and Percy but also for the many others who had died in battle. Shrouded demigods, both Greek and Roman, were burned at the campfire, and Chiron asked Nico to oversee the burial rites.

Nico agreed immediately. He was grateful for the opportunity to honor the dead. Even the hundreds of spectators didn’t bother him.  


The hardest part was afterward when Nico and the five demigods from the Argo II met on the porch of the Big House.

Everyone was somber - the deaths of Leo and Percy had placed a burden on their shoulders. They didn't talk a lot about the cure around Annabeth, as it was a touchy subject especially how it could have saved Percy, but Hazel and Frank explained Leo's plan. In the end, everyone was crying, except Annabeth. 

"I'm out of tears," she said. 

* * *

By the evening of the second day, everyone's moods have risen. Even Annabeth was able to hold a smile for a short while. However, every time she looked over - she was reminded that Percy wasn't sitting next to her. She secretly resented Leo, for taking the cure away from Percy - but the resent stayed hidden, curled up deep in her gut. 

* * *

Annabeth stepped away from the festivities. Her heart beating loudly in her chest. She couldn't get that image out of her head, him falling to his knees with blood pouring from the wound in his shoulder. He was dead before he hit the ground.

She walked through the forest, not knowing where she was going. Every place had a memory of _him._ The creek where he was claimed, Zeus' Fist, the meadow, dozens more of them just playing Capture the Flag or walking around aimlessly, their hands clasped in between them. 

Eventually, she sat beneath a tree. Her back pressed against the hard bark. And she started to cry. They started off soft, barely whimpers, but grew into full-on sobs. He was _gone,_ Annabeth was alone again.

So she cried, so cried for what seemed like days, only stopping when she was too exhausted to carry on. If a monster came lumbering around, it could kill her with one hit. But thankfully, the woods were all that stocked at the moment. 

She crossed her ankles in front of her and leaned her head back against the tree. Something in her pocket dug against her leg. She pulled it out, seeing it was the paper that Percy gave her before the battle.

" _You'll know when to read that,_ " he had said. And Annabeth does. He knew he was going to die. _He planned on it._ That just made the pain worse.

Annabeth rose to her feet and ran back into camp, where there could be some type of light that she could use to read the note with. 

Everyone had retired for the night, and the campfire was falling into a slumber, but there was enough light to read.

The note was on the back of a page from a book, an architecture book that Percy had asked for when they were 12 and leaving camp after their first quest. It was all basic stuff written, but it was something at the bottom that caught her eye. In her 12-year old chicken scratch, she wrote: 

_Build something permanent._

Annabeth turned the page over, now seeing Percy's writing covering the back page. 

> _Annabeth,_
> 
> _I don't know if I will make it out of this alive, but if it came down to the choice between you living and me dying, or me living and you dying, I would die every single day._
> 
> _Do you remember all the things we dreamt about when we where little? To live long enough to go to college, to get a job, do everything mortals could do? I want you to do those things. I don't think I was ever meant to, I think I was born to die here - today. This was a sucky life right? I feel like every memory was haunted, but the ones with you. I know that's cliche, but its true._
> 
> _I want you to know, this isn't your fault. You couldn't have loved me better, but I want you to move on. I'm already gone. It was hard to look at you knowing that I was going to die, because I want you to find someone else, but that's okay. I want you to be happy, I know I scared you - and that sight, the look in your eyes stayed with me. I regret that with every fiber of my being. I wasn't the love of you life, though you were mine. You will find someone - or maybe you won't. But I will wait patiently until you arrive._
> 
> _Our relationship started with the perfect kiss, but even then I knew I had to take everything to heart because it wasn't going to last. This year and a half with you were the most amazing parts of my life, and I dreamt of having a kid with you. Seriously, when I looked at Sadie, I thought of your looks and my personality. I dreamt of spending my entire life with you, which techinally I did. But we were always meant to say goodbye._
> 
> _And I hope you do find something or someone who will make you happy - because I'm already gone, and I love you with all my heart._
> 
> _\- Percy_

Annabeth didn't know she carried enough strength to cry until her tear fell onto the paper in front of her. She folded up the paper carefully and tucked it back in her pocket. Then she held her head in her hands and cried, eventually falling asleep on the bench. 

* * *

Nico approached her two days after the battle.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey," she responded. Nico took a deep breath and studied her for a moment before speaking. 

"I had a crush on him," Annabeth looked up at his confession.

"I know." She gave him a tight-lipped smile. Nico blanched, "You-You knew?" 

She nodded, "Well, I had a feeling. It was either him or me, and I had a feeling that it wasn't me." 

Nico went silent for a moment, "He was a great guy."

Annabeth nodded and spoke, her voice quiet, "The best."

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry, this was so short, but I heard the song and thought that this was the perfect thing to do.


End file.
